Camacho Havana

Florida – Always Friendly to the Cigar Smoking Tourist

I had the opportunity recently to take a swing through South Florida. On this trip, I made sure to visit a couple of cigar bars along the way in the evening hours. I started with a stop at Cigarz in Universal’s well-known City Walk entertainment center and finished with a visit to Ft. Lauderdale’s Florida Cigar Company. In between, I stopped in at The World Famous Cigar Bar in Ft. Myers with an old friend who lives in the area. It certainly reminded me – a former Florida resident - that this state is the friendliest of the 50 to the cigar smoker.

I’ve talked about the various cigar-friendly cities in this blog before, but when it comes to states – Florida is it. From Miami, with its Cuban influence, home to a number of cigar companies and a primary cigar business center; to Tampa, home of the national Cigar Dave radio show and the city’s cigar heritage (visit Ybor City); to Key West with its outdoor cigar vendor carts on many corners - you have a variety of cities where you can enjoy a cigar. Couple this with Florida’s climate, its fair approach to cigar legislation and taxes, and its “do what you wanna” attitude and you have a hands-down winner state.

Almost every major city in Florida offers the cigar smoker some options. Whether it’s the mahogany and leather feel of a swanky smoking lounge or a more laid back, casual atmosphere with a small cover band playing Dave Matthews, John Mayer and similar artists’ songs. While in Florida, I consciously made it a point to sample a couple of the newer cigars that were introduced into the market over the last six to nine months. Admittedly, I am behind on keeping up with some of the new cigars that have been released – so many cigars, so little time. Over the next couple of reviews, I hope to enlighten you with my “catch-up” work.

So, lets get smokin'!

Cigar Review:

Camacho Havana

Size: Toro (6 inches long, 50 Ring Gauge)
Price: $5 to 6.50 range

Camacho is a brand worth watching and trying. They have a following and continue to improve their quality and selection, while offering a fairly priced product value. This is my second review of a Camacho product for Bullz-Eye.com. The first was not nearly as good.

Tobacco blend:

Wrapper: Honduran

Binder: Honduran

Filler: Honduran Criollo

Context

I smoked the Camacho Havana with my brother (who gave me the cigar as a gift), at a friendly cigar bar in Ft. Lauderdale. In this case I had Woodford Reserve bourbon on the rocks, as I prepared for a powerhouse of a smoke. It proved to be an excellent pairing.

Look and feel

The look of the cigar seemed fine, though I was in a more traditional, dimly lit cigar bar, so I may have missed some faults. The cigar felt firm and balanced. My brother was very “up” on this cigar, which was going to be the first I was going to enjoy. He had attended a cigar event and was able to land a few of them. The cigar is advertised as being a medium to full-bodied smoke, and its strength was classified as full.

Aroma and Taste

The pre-frame aroma did nothing to dispel the advertising. Upon flaming it up, there was an initial rush of good flavors. They smoothed out and stayed at a more medium to sometimes full taste profile throughout the entire cigar. I can say that I really enjoyed the cigar and appreciated the fact that its nicotine strength was less than I expected. I would classify it within the medium level. The burn was fairly flawless and a varying mix of cedar, spice and leather was usually present.

RATING: 9.2 (on a scale of 1 to 10) – the construction, the burn, the flavor and strength profile were just flat out excellent. Couple this with its reasonable cost and you have a stick that will provide a pretty good facsimile of its Cuban counterparts. Though I only had one, I am now in the market to obtain more.

This blend is very good and unique with some strong flavors. As you get to the final third of the cigar, be aware that the nicotine strength spikes upward.

Cigar Quote

"As you approach 30, you have a 30 Ring Gauge; as you approach 50, you have a 50 Ring Gauge."
– A Cuban Saying

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